Gaza Genocide29 November, 20252 min read
UN Committee Against Torture Says Israel Operates De Facto Policy of Organised, Widespread Torture
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UN Committee against Torture found evidence Israel enforces organised, widespread torture as de facto policy Committee documented severe beatings, sexual violence, deaths in custody, and impunity
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UN findings on detainee abuse
A UN Committee Against Torture of ten independent experts concluded that Israel operates a de facto state policy of organised and widespread torture. The committee documented repeated allegations since 7 October 2023 of severe beatings, dog attacks, electrocution, waterboarding, prolonged stress positions, sexual violence and humiliation against Palestinian detainees.
“A UN committee of 10 independent experts concluded that Israel has ‘a de facto state policy of organised and widespread torture,’ documenting severe abuses of Palestinian detainees during the two years since the Gaza war began on 7 October 2023.”
It found detainees denied medical care, subjected to excessive restraints and, in some cases, amputations. The committee and rights groups said the cumulative effect of these policies may amount to torture, could constitute war crimes and, when organised, may meet the legal threshold for genocide under international law.
Detention practices and abuses
The committee highlighted detention practices as central to the abuses, noting that broad use of the 'unlawful combatants' framework and administrative detention has left thousands held for long periods without access to lawyers or family. The committee said those conditions can amount to enforced disappearance.
The Guardian cited B'Tselem figures showing 3,474 Palestinians in administrative detention at the end of September. It also flagged the detention of large numbers of children, including some under 12, who face solitary confinement, denial of education, and severe restrictions on family contact.
Custody deaths and impunity
The committee recorded an abnormally high number of deaths in custody and highlighted systemic impunity. The Guardian documented 75 Palestinian deaths in custody during the Gaza-war period and said no state officials have been held accountable, noting only one conviction with a seven-month sentence judged inadequate.
“It documented 75 Palestinian deaths in custody during the Gaza-war period, described the toll as 'abnormally high,' and found no state officials have been held accountable.”
The BBC reported committee members were 'deeply appalled' by the lack of investigations or prosecutions. Middle East Monitor echoed demands for prosecution of those responsible, including senior officers, and tied the committee’s critique to a wider picture of mass Palestinian casualties caused by Israeli operations in Gaza.
Committee recommendations and demands
The committee’s remedies were explicit and began with calls for legislative and oversight reforms. It called for adoption of a standalone criminal offence of torture. It demanded disclosure of interrogation 'special means'.
It recommended prohibiting the invocation of exceptional circumstances to justify torture. It proposed creation of an independent ad hoc investigatory commission with powers to prosecute.
Middle East Monitor also demanded immediate entry of humanitarian aid and aid workers into Gaza. It urged attention to spikes in settler violence and to administrative detention as part of the response package.
Investigation and Responses
Israel officially denied the allegations and provided testimony claiming oversight.
“Israel denied the allegations and provided official testimony claiming oversight; the committee noted an inspector for interrogation complaints brought no criminal prosecutions in two years and pointed to only one conviction (an Israeli soldier) whose seven-month sentence it judged inadequate. The report was released the same day three Israeli border police officers were questioned and released in the investigation of the fatal shooting of two detained Palestinians in Jenin; video showed the men crawling with hands raised before being shot.”
The committee noted minimal domestic accountability, reporting that an inspector for interrogation complaints produced no criminal prosecutions in two years and that only one soldier was convicted and given a seven-month sentence judged inadequate.
The Guardian reported the committee released its report the same day three Israeli border police officers were questioned and released over the fatal shooting of two detained Palestinians in Jenin.
Video of the Jenin incident showed the men crawling with their hands raised before being shot.
The BBC records that Israel has rejected accusations that it is committing genocide.
Middle East Monitor said the committee 'unequivocally condemned' Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack but found Israel’s response disproportionate and called for prosecutions of senior officers.